Do not buy made in China ?

“Chinese junk” is probably the most used cliche phrase. Buy American ! Here what you will be looking at: A 12” aluminum triangle for $129 and that is on preorder sale ! One would think that for the price it better be made of gold or at least titanium coated high speed steel. I worked at manufacturing for some sizable portion of my life and can tell you it is very easy to machine this kind of tools to the stated specifications, despite the claims from this manufacturer how expensive it is. Thanks, I will stay with my plastic triangle that I bought for $1.99 10 years ago,

I have always been on a smaller budget and could never figure out why people spring for outrageously expensive tools for casual users – some of the china stuff is garbage, but I for one have a LOT of harbor freight hand tools and consumables as they are usually less then half the cost of a name brand item with the same quality.

What I WILL NOT buy from HF is any air or power tool, I once had a grinder actually come apart in my hands and refuse to try again. Cheap tools are great, but not worth losing a finger.

Woodpeckers is less than 4 miles from my house and I’ve wanted to check the place out for a while, the thing keeping me from making such an inquiry is the lack of value for most of their products. If it’s close to twice the quality, I can pay three times as much, not 30 times as much!

I tend to agree on this item but I will say this. You just CAN’T buy some items that are made in the USA in a lot of cases.

Find a table saw that’s is 100% manufactured here to buy and see what the price is. I think that’s a lot of the problem and I’ve got 25 years of machining and manufacturing under my belt too. It’s maddening that we have farmed out out manufacturing to the extent we have.

The “seniors” on this board will remember when “made in Japan” was a bad thing (at the time it was true). Things evolve…you get better or somebody else will eat your lunch (Toyota and Honda come to mind).

I tend to agree on this item but I will say this. You just CAN T buy some items that are made in the USA in a lot of cases.

Find a table saw that s is 100% manufactured here to buy and see what the price is. I think that s a lot of the problem and I ve got 25 years of machining and manufacturing under my belt too. It s maddening that we have farmed out out manufacturing to the extent we have.

- Shadowrider

We’ve done to to ourselves. So many only see price when they shop. Look at Harbor Freight, they’re gowning like wild fire. There’s only one reason for that. People have voted in China made products with how they spend their dollars.

Receiving the high grade, certified aluminum sheetsRough cutting the sheet (for both the triangle and the fence)Milling the triangle and fenceDrill, tap, countersinkLaser etchSend out to anodizeSilk screen or pad print white markingsPackage the screws, triangle and fence.Ship to store

To this add: Fixed costs, depreciation of Equipment and manufacturer mark-up + resale and distribution profit.

This is probably not a high volume production item, its more of a quality measuring tool for quality consious shops and canot compare to a mass produced thin plastic device.

While it’s neat, it’s still a textbook example of diminishing returns. It is capable of maintaining precision beyond what wood can hold, it makes as much sense as using a micrometer on your stock after planning. It represents a good value for those interested in showing off their tools and poor value for those trying to mark a square line.

50 or 60 years ago I can imagine why being made in America was such a great thing, but as far as now, I just don’t think it matters where something is made as much as what it is made of and what quality the item is.

I have always been on a smaller budget and could never figure out why people spring for outrageously expensive tools for casual users -

- redesigningwood

I am on a very tight budget as well and used to think the same thing. I can tell you first hand the enjoyment of this hobby increases (for me anyway) tenfold when you know you can depend on your tools. I know when I set a tool to square it will stay that way instead of spending my time questioning and checking, or finding out too late it wasn’t truly square. I save and buy one tool at a time. It’s slow but worth it!

Makes me ponder the question,What’s more valuable the square you use to draw the line, or the square line that has been drawn?I believe when it’s all said and done, all that matters is that you have a square line.Kudos to those that can afford nice things. Wish I had one. It would be a joy to use every time I got to use it.Although getting by with crappy tools is just as well.

-- If anyone would like to see my Portfolio, PM me and I would be glad to send you the link.

50 or 60 years ago I can imagine why being made in America was such a great thing, but as far as now, I just don t think it matters where something is made as much as what it is made of and what quality the item is.

- redesigningwood

A lot of politics involved on the entire question and I’ll politely decline to go there. For me quality matters most. I think people have to realize that we have “progressed” to the point where we will not be able to compete on a lot of things. We won’t be the first country to experience that…it’s just how things work and always have.